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Rebels Bomb Electrical Network, Cutting Links To Phones, Water

January 18, 2000|By From Tribune News Services.

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA — Marxist rebels blacked out a huge swath of war-torn northwest Colombia, including Medellin, the third largest city and industrial hub, as they bombed 22 high-voltage power pylons on Monday, officials said.

The power outage across parts of Antioquia, Choco and Cordoba provinces cut water supplies and phone services.

The attacks by the National Liberation Army (ELN) were aimed at the state-run generating company ISAGEN and the national power grid ISA--both scheduled for privatization under a mandate by the International Monetary Fund.

"Drastic" rationing was imposed and intermittent energy was restored to some urban areas, including much of Medellin. But rural regions are likely to remain without electricity for several weeks, said Ramiro Valencia, head of Medellin's municipal-owned utility EPM.

If the damage is not repaired within three-weeks, the entire region, unable to receive power from other regions of the country via the national grid, could be paralyzed, Valencia said.

The ELN, with about 5,000 combatants, routinely has attacked energy infrastructure during its three-decade uprising. The rebel force blew up about 200 power pylons during 1999 but never caused a blackout on this scale.